"On the face of it, the Northern Ireland market fared relatively well last month.

"November and December are typically the quietest months for new car showrooms, however, Northern Ireland dealers saw their seven-month sequence of falling sales pause in November, albeit with the smallest of gains, up 0.1%, or just an additional four cars.

"Nevertheless, new car registrations in the year to November are 5% below the corresponding period in 2016.

"This is in line with the UK but compares favourably with Scotland. It is worth noting that the fall in new car sales (2008 -2012) was steeper in Northern Ireland than the rest of the UK and the subsequent recovery has been significantly weaker."

Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said an "eighth month of decline in the new car market is a major concern, with falling business and consumer confidence exacerbated by ongoing anti-diesel messages from government".

"Diesel remains the right choice for many drivers, not least because of its fuel economy and lower Co2 emissions. The decision to tax the latest low emission diesels is a step backwards and will only discourage drivers from trading in their older, more polluting cars," he added.

"Given fleet renewal is the fastest way to improve air quality, penalising the latest, cleanest diesels is counterproductive and will have detrimental environmental and economic consequences."

Figures for the year-to-date for Northern Ireland show the Volkswagen Golf was the best selling car, with 1,903 vehicles powering out of showrooms.